RDF (Resource Description Format) and LOD (Linked Open Data) are two key components in the ongoing development of the Semantic Web (the structured linking of web-based information to enable users anywhere to find, share, and combine information more easily). Although we are used to working in information silos much of the time, the Semantic Web can allow data to be discovered, shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries. The speakers will demonstrate how our existing data (from both VR collections and museums) can be transformed to the RDF format; how the effort can be shared in a community; and how LOD will affect and expand the tools we use daily to provide controlled vocabulary terms.

Transcript

2.
The Need
• Museum data exists in silos, is not very findable on the web
• It is difficult for users to make connections across collections
• Other sources often have more information than we do
• Web pages are machine processable, but not machine readable

7.
The Project
• Working with the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and Department
of Computer Science at the University of Southern California to
develop tools for LOD conversion
• Contribute data to the Linked Open Data cloud:
• 44,000 artworks
• 8,000 artists
• 15,000 places
• Leverage the data to build applications for the public, scholars, and
educators
• Share the tools and the process with other museums and cultural
institutions